Happy Birthday
by Rukia Strawberry
Summary: In the quiet of the night, Naruto and Sakura sit side by side, thinking about a long lost friend whom they loved with all their hearts.


_**Summary: In the quiet of the night, Naruto and Sakura sit side by side, thinking about a long lost friend whom they loved with all their hearts.**_

Sakura was surprised when a silent knock was heard on her window, she was settled on her bed with a bunch of papers in her hand given to her by Tsunade for team seven's next mission, that's when she heard the tap on her window and looked up from her work. She knitted her eyebrows and slowly stood up wondering who could that be at this hour of the night.

She grabbed the kunai, just in case and headed forward, towards the window, the knock had died down after two taps, as she slowly made her way there and pulled apart the curtains instantly only to fall back on the wooden floor on her butts. Blue eyes met her emerald one's so close to her face that she shrieked and fell behind in a shocked state.

"Hi Sakura-chan..." Naruto cried in a hushed voice, a bright smile on his face as he tapped one more time on her window. Sakura blinked twice and then sighed, as she stood up from the floor, putting the kunai aside and walked towards the window sliding it open. He grinned at her rubbing the back of his head. "Hehe...sorry I scared ya!"

Sakura passed a simple smile and laughed. "Ah Naruto of course...you DID scare me baka...what the hell are you doing here at this hour?" she screamed pulling him in by his collar and punching the lights out of him, without caring that her parents might hear her. Naruto yelped as soon as he was caught in her grip followed by the stinging pain he felt the minute her fist met against the top of his head. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he rubbed the pain away with both of his hands.

"Sakura-chan you are always so harsh...owowow!"

Crossing her arms over her chest she frowned down at her team mate. "What are you doing here sneaking into my room like a burglar Naruto?"

Naruto finally looked up at her, still sitting on the floor, with his legs crossed in front of him, as he blinked at her with the same innocent expression he gives every time he decides to pretend that he was not upto anything sneaky. However Sakura knew that look too well and pierced her eyes at him, bending down towards his eye level.

"You were not trying to sneak up on me, while I sleep were you...Naruto?"

Naruto fell back, with her so close to his face and unintentionally hit his head with the wall, as a scream came out of his lips, before he wrapped his hands over his mouth looking at her. Sakura sighed and shook her head, as she turned and walked towards her bed sitting at it's edge now. Naruto looked up at her and passed her the most sweetest smile.

"I promise I was not trying to sneak up on Sakura-chan...I just missed her so I decided to come" he confessed openely. Sakura was quiet for a second before smiling and resting on the heels of her hand.

"Ah...I see"

There was once again silence for a split second before Naruto got up from the floor and slowly walked up to her, and sat next to her keeping a fair amount of distance.

"Shouldn't you be asleep by now, I thought you might be sleeping, and I am gonna have to wake you up?"

Sakura glanced at him and shrugged. "What about you...why aren't you sleeping knowing that it's the middle of the night" she asked back, they both looked at each other, blue eyes meeting with emerald, before they both looked away from each other at the same time, with emotions they both knew so well. After years of looking into each others eyes filled with anguish and longing for someone. It was already clear for Naruto and Sakura that they don't need to ask each other about what was bothering them.

"I couldn't sleep."

They both murmured at the same time, and kept looking down, Sakura placed her hands in her laps and bit her bottom lip.

"Ne...Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"You remember what today is?"

There was no reply from him, as silence filled the room once again. Sakura decided not to push him further as they sat there quietly, even the quietness itself was indicating the sadness in the air. Naruto lowered his eyes and started to rub his hands against the soft matress he was sitting on.

"It's past 12:am so... 23rd of july I guess" Naruto looked at her and gave her a calm soft smile, Sakura looked back and did not even realize when she had started shedding tears out of her eyes. Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Ah! Sakura-chan you don't have to cry, you know that bastard must have forgotten his own birthday since he is just...a bastard, but so what, we are enough to remember it" Sakura knew Naruto was trying to comfort her, even that calm smile on his face showed that he was trying to be strong. Knowing that Naruto was hurting from the inside she scooted closer and took his hands in her's. Before placing them on her legs, clasping it. Naruto looked down at their entwined fingers before looking up at her again.

"I am so stupid, I always start crying like a baby, and you have to comfort me in the end" she cried in a trembling voice. "Naruto...its's just...so hard you know"

Naruto looked away one more time, but Sakura brought her other hand up and grabbed the side of his face, forcing him to face her once more, Naruto did with startled eyes and for the third time in that night, their eyes met as she smiled at him sweetly with tears sparkling in her eyes.

"This time, it's just me here...you can...Naruto you can cry."

_Let me be the one to comfort you this time..._

Naruto didn't know what to say, but as soon as words escaped Sakura's lips, tears started to come out of his sad blue eyes as well, his lips trembled. Sakura started crying too and pressed her forehead against his, sobbing softly.

Naruto closed his eyes and clenched his fist as the room was filled with their silent sobs and sniffs, for a while they sat like this in each others embrace, without caring about the time. Sakura was the first to pull away, as she rubbed the tears out of his eyes first and then her's as well. Naruto looked back at her and sniffed like a 12 year old. They sat away from eachother once again and stared down, without making any eye contact.

"That...felt better I guess" Sakura looked at him, as Naruto whispered those words. She smiled and nodded.

"It did..."

_But it makes the pain more worse after that...Naruto thought._

"Sasuke..."

They both looked at eachother startled as soon as the name escaped their lips at the same time, and then they smiled together, Naruto this time scooted closer to her and shoved his hand in his pocket, his left leg brushed against her right one, as Sakura looked curiously at him, he took out something from his pocket.

It was a head band, it looked really old and on it's plate where the leaf symbol was present a scratch was carved in the middle of it. The plate however still shone brightly under the light in Sakura's room. Naruto gave her a smile before placing the band on top of their joined legs, their shoulders brushed as well. Sakura blinked for a while as her fingers automatically reached to touch the head band with her fingers, then she looked back at her team mate. He nodded.

"That teme...you see he's right here with us now...we will...celebrate his birthday like this, what kind of a bastard forgets his own birthday, right?" he laughed softly and Sakura laughed lightly too, as tears started forming into her eyes again. Slowly she placed her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Followed by Naruto pressing his cheek against her head.

"It's stupid right, to miss him like this, even knowing that he doesn't care about us."

"Nah, he's just too moody for us that's all. I am sure he's brooding somewhere in a cave missing the hell out of us" Sakura smiled admiring the firmness Naruto held for both of them.

"Just like we miss him right here..."

Naruto gave a slight nod, only to realize that she was slowly drifting off to sleep right on his shoulder. Naruto glanced down at her and looked down at the head band of their former team mate, sitting there on their legs, a sad smile came upon his face as he traced the line of the scratched line, he had carved a long time ago when they were fighting. Sasuke left it right there with him, he decided to leave everything behind, but Naruto hoped that their memories still stayed with him.

Did he miss them, was he missing them now, or was he only plotting for Konoha's destruction?

"Sasuke-kun..."

The last words he heard from Sakura as she drifted off to sleep, with her hair falling on her face her hand still resting on the head band and head on his shoulder, Naruto felt tears forming at the corner of his eyes as well. He looked outside the window, and felt his eyes closing as well. Tears rolled down his cheek as he closed his eyes completely and drifted into sleep. But before that, he swore he saw something red flashing in front of his eyes. Naruto too sad, and too lost to care, decided to leave it one last time. It could be his mind playing tricks on him. As a smile came upon his lips.

_Happy Birthday Sasuke-teme...Next time celebrate your birthday here at Konoha, with us._

_00000000000_

**End**

**A one shot for Sasuke's Birthday.**

**Happy Birthday Sasuke, I am sure you don't even care that it's your birthday. But we do and we love you. ^_^**


End file.
